The Last “Official Summer Season” Box of Organic Food

This is the final week of our “summer food box” share of organic food from Growing Washington. This is the third year running that we have been involved in community supported agriculture and we continue to be very satisfied customers. This year we ordered a 20 week share in this wonderful subscription farm plus we added the five week Autumn delivery. The Small Vegetable Box provides a choice of eight vegetables per week from what is coming out of the fields. The Small Veggie Box costs $24 per week or $432 for the eighteen-week season. The summer season this year ran from June 13 to today. We will now continue to receive organic food from our extended share for the next 5 weeks.

Organic Food Rocks……..Week 20

I was really excited to receive our vegetables this week. I ordered a variety of potatoes and I also ordered escarole which I’ll describe more below. You know, it’s hard to describe the various earthy smells that come off these organic vegetables when we put them on the counter. You don’t get the same whiff of earthiness when you buy food at the grocery store. Not even the organic food at the grocery store is the same. Here’s the list of this week’s vegetables:

• Gala Apples – The first Gala apple tree was one of many seedlings resulting from a cross between a Golden Delicious and a Kidd’s Orange Red planted in New Zealand in the 1930s. Gala apples are small and are usually red with a portion being greenish or yellow-green, vertically striped. Gala apples are fairly resistant to bruising and are sweet, grainy, with a mild flavor and a thinner skin than most apples. Quality indices include firmness, crispness, and sweetness. (citation from Wikipedia)
• Escarole – Escarole is a variety of endive whose leaves are broader, paler and less bitter than other members of the endive family. In taste — but not color — it is almost indistinguishable from radicchio. Like radicchio, kale and chard, escarole is a hearty green that thrives late into the growing season. The heart of an escarole head is less bitter because the leaves haven’t gotten as much sunlight. (from Cookthink.com)
• Swiss Chard – Swiss Chard is one of the most nutritious vegetables you can eat. I simply saute the chopped-up leaves and stems with olive oil, garlic, hot pepper flakes and splash the saute with wine or stock as the leaves cook. Here’s a great site that explains why chard is so nutritious: http://www.whfoods.com/genpage.php?tname=foodspice&dbid=16
• Braising Mix – I prepare this mix of various leafy greens in much the same way I prepare chard.
• Spicy Greens Mix – This mix of lettuces, arugula and spicy mustard greens is a delicious combination of flavors that goes well with a lot of dishes. I particularly like to toss these greens with a sweet vinaigrette, put it on the serving plate and then place a piece of grilled or sauteed piece of salmon on top of it…..yummy!
• Russet Potatoes – We received 2 large russets and a slew of smaller potatoes…….
• Yukon Gold Potatoes – Oh my, there’s nothing better than making mashed potatoes with Yukon Golds. Rich, creamy and delicious they are truly one of the best tasting potatoes in the world.
• Carrots – The carrots we receive from Growing Washington are so sweet and tender that I simply rinse them off and start eating. I don’t even bother peeling them….
• Beets – One advantage of receiving beets from an organic farm is that they always come with the tops (greens). In actuality, beets are two vegetables in one: the beet root and the beet greens. I cook both. I generally roast the beet roots in the oven for an hour (or more). I saute the greens in much the same way I prepare all the other greens. Beet greens are delicious!

Yukon Gold Potatoes

Russet Potatoes

Escarole

Gala Apples, Chard, Carrots, Spicy Greens

Beet Greens

Not Even the Rain Can Dampen the Arrival of the Organic Food

Now that Autumn is in full-swing here in the Northwest we are going to start to see a lot of great organic food. We enjoy a relatively cool climate compared to much of the country and throughout the summer we will find vegetables that might not do so well in much of the country. We almost always have a huge variety of lettuces and greens that melt in the summer heat in other parts of the U.S.. Brassicas (members of the mustard family) such as broccoli, cauliflower and cabbage do quite well in our mild summers….but now they are really going to thrive (as you can see from the photo above!).  We are also going to see my favourite allium, leeks which require a long growing season but are the king of the onion family.

This week I tried to select some interesting crops from our subscription farm, Growing Washington. I can’t wait to do cook up something interesting with the oyster mushrroms. When I pulled the Savoy cabbage from the box I couldn’t help but wonder what sort of interesting things I can make with it…….it’s a monster!!!! So, here’s what we received this week:

• Rhubarb – I usually bake a wonderful crisp with the rhubarb we receive from the farm….this week will be no exception
• Savoy Cabbage – I’m thinking stuffed cabbage with those huge leaves…stuffed with what????? Hmmm
• Leeks – I can’t tell you how much I LOVE leeks
• Broccoli
• Big Beef tomatoes
• Oyster mushrooms
• Asian pears – They’re shaped like apples but have the texture and taste of pears
• Rustic Salad mix
• Braising mix

One huge head of savoy cabbage!

Did I say I absolutely LOVE leeks!

These Oyster Mushrooms make my mouth water.

This week I’ll try to document some of the cooking I’m doing with these wonderful organic vegetables.